Division fair draws 160 projects

Three headed to Lethbridge for national science fair in May

Three young ladies are headed to Lethbridge, Alberta to compete in a Canada-wide science fair after taking top honours at the St. James-Assiniboia School Division’s 47th annual divisional science fair at George Waters Middle School April 3.

Ilsa Chaytor (Grade 8, École Golden Gate School), Megan Peeler (Grade 7, École Golden Gate School), and Katelyn Waldner (Grade 8, Lincoln Middle School) will take their projects on an all-expenses paid trip to the national fair (May 11-18), where they will compete for a share of almost $1-million in cash prizes, grants, and scholarships.

PHOTOS BY SEAN LEDWICH

Ilsa Chaytor smiles alongside the greenery that earned her a trip to Lethbridge for the national fair in May. She resolved questions about how much daylight indoor plants should receive.

Megan Peeler got the idea to test the flight distance of bottles and cups, with and without lids, after her dad was refused a lid for his cup at the MTS centre because, they said, cups with lids fly further.

Katelyn Waldner said a documentary led her to examine the psychology of eating disorders.“It’s become such a huge issue these days I thought people should learn about it...I learned so much,” said Waldner, one of three girls headed to Lethbridge for the national competition in May.

Friends Taryn Randell and Olivia Dao both wanted to learn more about asthma because Taryn has it. They earned a silver award for their project, which included coloured charts of the respiratory system.

Chelsea Wicks created a pinhole camera, using a Popsicle stick to advance the film, and even developed the pictures from it. "They said my backboard was fabulous and I did a really good job," she said.

Denise Hammersley meticulously wrapped copper wire 500 times to produce electricity. She discovered more wraps equals more electricity. "I demonstrated that I can create a vertical axis wind turbine and I can produce electricity," said the Grade 4 Robert Browning student.

Riley Wiltshire was raised by a forklift (with a safety belt) to test six different helmets on mini-watermelons and eggs. He conducted drop experiments from as high as 29 feet. "It’s their choice…but I say that they should because they only got one head," he said about the wisdom of wearing a helmet.

Crystal Gumieny looked at probiotics, "because they are such a new thing in the health world." She said the "live single-cell microscopic organism"; present in foods like cheese, milk, wheat, garlic, onions, and artichokes, helps digestion and speeds healing of gastric and intestinal infections.

Chaytor said she kept her cool upon hearing she’d won, but did permit herself a high-five with schoolmate and fellow winner Peeler, who was her neighbour at the fair.

"You don’t want to do something crazy when you’re in front of all those people," said Chaytor, adding her parents were "very happy" and her brother executed a fist-pump.

Jason Braun, chair of the divisional science fair committee and wearer of a multi-coloured lab coat, said 160 Grades 1-12 students from 23 schools took part in the divisional fair.

Braun said more important than the topic chosen for a project is the skill to question something, and then, through experiment and skeptical data analysis, resolve the question.

"That inquiry skill will help them not only in sciences, but across the board."The projects, judged by 50 people from the community, were the cream of the crop chosen from fairs held earlier in the school year at individual schools.

Only students in Grade 7 or higher were eligible to go to the national fair.

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